CAPSTONE, or the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, launched Tuesday at 5:55 a.m. EDT (09:55 UTC) on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand. Now on the first leg of its journey, the microwave oven-sized spacecraft will be the first to explore a unique path around the Moon, where the pull of gravity from Earth and the Moon interact to allow for a nearly-stable orbit.
CAPSTONE’s test of this special orbit will blaze a path for Gateway, our future lunar space station. This Moon-orbiting spacecraft will be built by NASA and its commercial and international partners to one day serve as a staging area for missions to the Moon and potentially as a jumping point for missions farther into space.